Italy

                  For my spring break I went to Italy. I spent the entire week in Italy and I would recommend to anyone traveling to Italy to visit the exact same places I did. I flew into Pisa international airport where I met up with one of my friends from my hometown. We spent the entire week traveling together. I spent a half day in Pisa and felt that I saw the majority of things that the city had to offer. The town is known for its famous leaning tower and it did not disappoint. Other than the tower and baptistery however, the city did not have much more to offer that could warrant staying an entire day. I took a train that was surprisingly cheep into Florence where I spent the next three days.

                  In comparison to London, Florence is a much smaller town but has much to offer. While in Florence, I met up with an old friend that was studying and working in Florence this semester. She was Fluent in Italian and was a great help. She made a sheet for us of Italian phrases and words that we used for the remainder of our trip. I noticed that when I start a conversation in Italian and said “I am sorry, do you speak English” or used just a little bit of Italian, the local vendors were friendlier and I received better service. The highlights of Florence for me were the Galleria Dell’Accademia, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Piazzale Michelangelo. The Galleria Dell’Accademia is where Michelangelo’s masterpiece the statue of David is along with multiple other statues by Michelangelo. This art gallery is a must see if you are in Florence and I would recommend buying tickets in advance online. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the largest cathedral in Italy apart from the Vatican City and was architecturally beautiful. I have been through many churches now and what stood out for me in this cathedral was the painting on the ceiling depicting the entire life of Jesus Christ, and the floor. The floor was made of multiple types of marble and was not like any of the churches I have seen in the United Kingdom. The Piazzale Michelangelo is a plaza outside of the city where you have the most beautiful view of the city. I would recommend going at sunset and sitting on the steps with a wonderful bottle of Chianti Classico wine and watching the sunset over one o the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. 

                  Rome was my last stop on my trip and I spent the remaining three days there. The city and country side was not as beautiful as Florence but Rome had so many historically significant things to see. The roman Forum, The coliseum, and the Vatican City were breath taking. There were many times while in Rome where I stopped and thought how amazing it is to be seeing what was right in front of me right now. The Roman Forum was ruins built on top of ruins of ancient Caesar’s palaces and temples. The size of these building astounded me and showed to me how much power these people use to have. The Coliseum was the highlight of Rome for me. This was mostly because Gladiator is my favorite movie of all time. I spent an entire day in the Vatican City. I walked through Saint Peter’s Basilica and took a guided tour of the Basilica and learned much more than I would have if I had just listened to the audio tour. I would suggest to everyone to spend the few extra Euros and truly experience Saint Peter’s Basilica.

                  My spring break was much different than the average college students. It didn’t involve traveling to some beach in Mexico with a bunch of friends and partying all week. I saw things and went places that I had only seen on television and in movies. I never thought in my life I would have had the opportunity to see what I have seen in this semester while studying abroad. My spring break was a trip to remember for a life time. 

By Marshall McBurnett

Brace Yourselves, Winter Is Still Coming

            Spring break had to have been one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Not having traveled out much when I was at the states a couple of friends and I took this opportunity to make sure we got to see as much of the world as we could. We visited everything Rome and Munich had to offer but my anticipation all lay in one certain place, Neuschwanstein.

            Trying to describe the small village of Neuschwanstein in any way would be an understatement. With castles funded by King Ludwig, each one was as majestic inside as it was out. Chandeliers that weighed over one ton, rooms with finely crafted wood and built in caves leading to the Kings Chambers, each one had you fighting for air as you gasped and awed at every turn. The highlight of the whole trip though was when you took a 5 mile hike up the side of a mountain passing up a couple of waterfalls along the way until you reached what was a bridge where the view was spectacular. Once there you saw the largest castle of the two and a view that would fill any photographer with envy. With snow blanketing the whole scene it felt as if I had arrived to some type of Heaven, and considered myself very blessed for I knew that this was a sight that many would very much love to enjoy.

            Although every day during out vacation was memorable, visiting Neuschwanstein has shown me what the beauty of human engineering and nature can show when coexisting. This has been the highlight, if not definitely top 3, of this whole trip and one I will carry close to my heart for years to come.

by Humberto Lumbreras

Hiking in the Lake District

After my first week of interning for Skanska on the Royal London Hospital, I already desired to get out of the city. This weekend was the last weekend our BritRail passes could be used and I thought it would be a terrible waste if I didn’t travel somewhere. I asked my fellow Study Abroad students who wanted to travel with me and only Dylan Jones was as excited as I was to step out the door once again. So it was that Dylan and I set out on a train early Saturday morning for the Lake District in northern England. I picked this location because I had heard that it was a gorgeous area and it had been far too long since I was near a lake.

We had no plan, no packed clothing, and knew nothing about the area, but we went regardless. After a 4 hour train ride we arrived in Oxenholme and switched to another train bound for Windermere. Upon arriving in Windermere, we found a tourist information centre as quickly as possible so we could get our bearings and decide what to do next. The lady behind the counter gave us a couple hiking maps and showed us how to get to a few trail heads (we had heard hiking was amazing in the area) and almost as an afterthought I enquired about hostels in the area. She informed us that there in fact was a hostel with a few empty beads in the nearby town of Troutbeck and pointed us the direction of a bus that would take us close. After a short bus ride across Windermere we followed signs towards the only youth hostel in the area. The roads became smaller and smaller until we were walking along farm paths lined with sheep and snow. The hostel itself was in a remote field in a gorgeous valley between two mountains. We checked in to the hostel and after talking to the owner, decided to begin our first hike from the front door of the hostel: a mountain path that led over the peak of one of the adjacent mountains and into a small town on the other side, Ambleside. We were told by our colleagues at work the previous week that the weather would be terrible and not to travel anywhere north of London, of course we had not listened and it turns out they were right. When the hiking trail turned uphill, things quickly accelerated out of hand. The dirt path between two stone walls we were following quickly became blocked by a serious of massive snow banks 6 to 7 feet high and we were forced to force our way straight through them or walk along the walls to the sides.

The wind turned swiftly from a cool breeze to a gale force snow blower, and the snowflakes travelled horizontally right into our faces at what seemed like 70 mph. The path became more difficult to follow as the snow piled up but we kept on going, determined to be as hard-headed as possible. After many hours and miles we reached the top of the mountain, but not without a few tense moments. Every couple hundred yards or so we sank suddenly into the snow up to our waist and had to crawl out, which was not only scary but very uncomfortable due to our lack of waterproof clothing. Dylan lost his phone during one of these snow battles and we decided it was not worth it to turn around and search for it. During the ascent our jeans had become frozen solid and were packed tight with snow up to our knees, my cloth cloves were sheets of ice, and our faces were bright red and stung from combating the elements. Taking the last few icy steps to the peak immediately showed us what we had been fighting for: an incredible view of a snow-swept valley containing a large lake far below.

We stopped only to take a picture and catch our breath before deciding lingering at the top wasn’t comfortable enough to prolong. Our descent down the mountain was much faster than the ascent, as we decided to run, roll, slide, and fall all the way down the snowy backside of the mountain. Reaching the cozy town of Ambleside much faster than expected, we collapsed in a local pub to soak up the warmth and steak we badly needed. Taking a taxi home because of an inability to walk any farther than we had, we collapsed in our beds at 8:30PM and fell fast asleep until 7:00 the next morning, ready for the second day of our Lake District adventure.

By Landen Ehlers

Box Associates

My second life in London has begun. Once a student frolicking around the many sites of London, I have become a hardened responsible local of the cold unforgiving city. I am working for a small company by the name of Box Associates. My hours are 9am-5pm Monday through Friday. I had no idea what to expect from this internship because I had not had an interview previous to me being hired. I showed up ten minutes early on the first day. I had to weight 15 more minutes till anyone showed up. A kind lady opened the door for me and showed me to my work desk, and told me that the boss would be coming along shortly. I waited in anticipation at my first work desk related to construction. A jolly fellow by the name of David Ledger came popping in and greeted me with a smile and a handshake. This was not the face of construction I was used to. I was expecting a hardened veteran of the construction industry that has seen one too many winters for his liking, not this pleasant English gentleman. We talked for about an hour, and figured out what we would do with me. We decided on putting me under the chief estimator. First day they had me taking off floors and ceilings for apartment complexes. Luckily I had taken Estimating 1 twice and just finished taking Estimating 2 the previous semester. I used the exact same tactics Professor Workman had taught me, and it seemed to go smoothly. Ever since that first day, each day has pretty much been the same. I get to my work desk and start putting my estimating skills to the test. They are very nice to me and always help me if I need it. I hope that it continues to run as smoothly as it has.

By: John Gonzalez

Urban Owners

            I have started my first ever internship this week with Urban Owners.  I have held jobs since I have been fifteen years old, but this is the first time I have worked in the area I plan on making a career in.  Urban Owners is a company, founded in the UK, that allows leaseholders to control the maintenance and development of their apartments.  Urban Owners helps them do this and works as a middle man setting them up with the maintenance and development contractors.  While Urban Owners is not a construction company, I have already been working with documents that will help me in my future career.

            On Monday, I was given a stack of binders containing Health, Safety, & Fire Risk Assessments for various buildings that use Urban Owners.  I was told to form Action Summaries for all of these binders.  This task was given to me to be completed by the end of the week.  At 2:30 PM on my second day I finished.  I have become well acquainted with these documents and will know how to handle them in the future if I ever need to again.  I was told that I would be going on site for the rest of the week.  This is what I have been looking forward to the whole time and after some hard work, I get to see more of the way this company works.

By Dylan Jones